Jennifer Coolidge Biography

Jennifer Coolidge's career began with the renowned Groundlings Theatre, and she then went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree from Emerson College. Her first TV role came when she was chosen to play Jerry's girlfriend Jody on an episode on the hit sitcom Seinfeld. In 1994, Coolidge graduated to a regular role on the ABC-TV sketch comedy series, She-TV. Minor roles in low budget films such as Not of this Earth (1995), Plump Fiction (1997) and Slappy and the Stinkers (1998) followed, as well as a recurring role on Saturday Night Specialanother sketch comedy series that also starred Roseanne. Jennifer played "Stupid Girl" in Showtime's TV movie Bucket of Blood, which featured Will Ferrell in a small role as "Young Man."

However, her breakout performance came in Christopher Guest's critically-acclaimed Best In Show (2000), playing a woman whose adoration for her 95-year-old husband is based upon shared love of things such as peas and soup. In 2001, Coolidge starred in the Broadway production of Claire Boothe Luce's comedy The Women and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play.